The Infected
by classic99lady00
Summary: It had horrified me when the reporters talked about crazy infected people trying to eat other people, but I hadn't thought beyond making sure my baby washed her hands before she ate anything.


The roads were purgatory. Everyone was packing up their lives in the backs of their cars and heading into the city, which might've been a good idea if you were one of a few... but when the entire population had that same idea, you just made it impossible for me to pick up my boyfriend from work and did _not _make it easier for yourself either.

I was tapping my fingers on the steering wheel impatiently, my tongue between my teeth, while I crept along behind a shiny black sedan. Car horns and frustrated yells echoed around us.

When a space opened up, I jumped the gun and tried to swerve over into it, but someone beat me to the punch, nearly clipping me in the process.

I quickly veered back into my lane with my teeth clenched to avoid the accident. "Shit!"

"You said a bad word, Mommy!" came the precocious reply from the back seat.

Glancing in the rearview mirror, I smiled a little ruefully at my little towheaded daughter in her carseat. "I'm sorry, baby. Forgive me?"

Nodding, Cordie tossed her head to the side, staring out the window in extreme boredom. After three years of reminding me what words were bad, her forgiveness had become habit. "Are we late?" she asked as traffic came to a standstill once again.

"Yes, we sure are," I muttered, stretching in my seat to try and see if there was any movement ahead. I couldn't see any.

My baby sighed mournfully, swinging her little leg as she watched the black birds wheel around in the twilit sky.

I sighed in answer and sat back again, tilting the rearview mirror to look at her. Goddamn, she was the most beautiful thing I'd ever seen. She'd inherited my too-wide eyes and oval-shaped face, but the little pouty mouth and feathery, bone-straight hair came from somewhere else in her lineage. Just three years old and she could be on the cover of some mothering magazine. Everyone who saw her or heard her was enchanted. Damn near gave me a heart-attack once when she disappeared at the park and I found her chatting up a homeless man. Grocery stores were a riot, little old people unable to help themselves from coming over to compliment her.

"Wanna play a game, baby?" I asked.

"What game?"

"I spy..." I purposely trailed off, turning my head slowly back and forth "...somethin'..." I could hear her sit up to watch where my eyes were going "...red."

She was silent for a few moments and then she exclaimed, "The doggy bathroom!"

I chuckled at her name for the fire hydrant, remembering how she'd learned it from Tommy, and said, "Nope. Try again."

"The dress!"

"What dress?"

"In the store!"

"Nope."

"Mommy!" she whined, growing impatient. "I don't know! Jus' tell me!"

"Try one more time and then I'll give you a hint."

"Um... OH! That car!"

"Yep! Good job, baby!"

"My turn! I spy somethin'...brown!"

It was fifteen minutes of "I Spy" before Tommy called my cell.

"Hey, sorry I'm late..." I began.

He cut me off, "Halley, take Cordie and get out of Atlanta. Right now."

The hair on my arms prickled, my scalp tingling. "Wha's going on? Wha's wrong?"

"I'm not supposed to be telling you this," he explained tensely. "Just hurry and get out of town, alright? Don't stop for anything. I gotta go..."

"Wait! Tommy!"

"The campsite. I'll meet you there. I love you!" The line went dead.

I dropped my phone, my heart racing.

"Mommy?" Cordie asked, her little voice wavering in fear.

I was running through everything in my head. It had to be that disease epidemic on the news, the one that had everyone clogging the streets while they looked for a safe place to harbor in. I'd seen a few stories on it and it had horrified me when the reporters talked about crazy infected people trying to eat other people, but I hadn't thought beyond making sure Cordie washed her hands before she ate anything. I even bought disinfectant and sprayed all the doorknobs and handles in the apartment to be doubly cautious.

But now Tommy was telling me to drop everything and leave the city? This could _not _be good.

I sat up and began honking the horn urgently, looking up and around and behind me for any openings.

"Mommy! Stop!" my baby cried.

"It's ok," I said as calmly as I could. "It's ok, baby."

I threw off my seatbelt and grabbed my purse out of habit, then jumped out of Tommy's car, leaving it running. "We need ta go, baby," I explained as I opened the back door and began unbuckling her carseat. "Come here." I lifted her out, quickly shutting the doors before weaving through the traffic.

"Hey! Get back in yer car! Don' leave it there!" came the angry calls, but I didn't look back, cradling my baby to my chest.

I didn't know what the hell I was supposed to do. I knew what Tommy wanted, I knew I was supposed to go to the campsite we visited several times a month, but how in the hell was I supposed to get there?

Eventually, I had to pause at a street corner, unsure which way to go. I could try going to the apartment, packing a few things, but Tommy had said not to stop for anything... did that mean for supplies or for road blocks? I had a feeling it was for both. But I couldn't just head off into the woods like this! Cordie at least needed her jacket and I needed better shoes. There was no way I could make it that far in heels. Not without the car.

The screaming started down the street, rising like a wave on the wind.

I turned, shock and awe on my face as I looked on, frozen.

People were climbing out of their cars the closer the screaming got, a crowd of terrified people pushing through the narrow spaces, running. And then I could hear a softer sound underneath the screams, but much more terrifying. A hissing kind of moan, like scales and slithering.

That made up my mind for me. I turned the other direction, pausing for a moment to kick my shoes off, and then began running barefoot, heedless of the scrapes and scuffs I might get.

When my panic dulled to allow me to think, a plan began to form in my mind. I was starting to pant with the exertion, but I found what I needed fairly quickly. I went to the door of a clothing store and tried going through, but the doorknob was stiff, locked.

"Shit!" I swore, slapping the wood.

"That's a bad word," Cordie said into my shoulder, sounding shell shocked and tired.

"I'm sorry. Forgive me?" I asked out of habit as I went down an alley, hoping there was a back door. There was one of those garage doors in the wall, a padlock keeping it shut. "Alright, here we go. Cordie, baby," I shifted her in my arms, "I'm going to sit you down fer a second, but you hold onto my leg and don't let go, ok?" She nodded, and I set her on her feet. She tightly wrapped her little arms around my leg, just tall enough to hug the curve of my knee.

"Ok, jus' like riding a bike," I told myself, reaching up into my hair and finding one of the hairpins I'd used to pull my hair up this morning.

It took about ten seconds for me to bend the bobby pin into shape, and then I set to work, inserting the metal wire into the keyhole of the padlock.

Picking locks had been part of my past life, but I'd since given it up, become an 'honest' woman. I hated to think of the promises I'd made after Cordie was born. If I hadn't had this particularly _illegal _skill set, I don't know what I would've done now, so I guess I was a little grateful. But I hated having to break my promise to never do it again.

"Mommy," Cordie whispered.

I was concentrating on the lock, distracted, "What, baby?"

"Mommy," she said a little more urgently, shaking my leg.

"_What, _baby?" I asked, looking down at her.

She was pointing down the alley through the gray darkness to the yellow light out on the street. I lifted my head, and felt the air rush out of my lungs.

A slow procession of shambling creatures was making its way down the street. I could hear their rattling breathes, their shuffling feet, their gargling snarls. I stared at them in horror, frozen in place. Their clothes were torn and there was blood on their faces... the news reports returned to my head, _people that wanted to eat other people... _

And I knew I was looking at the infected...

A cold fist of dread lodged in my stomach when two of them, a blood covered man and a torn up woman, slowed to a stop, turning to look at us. Then they took a few slow steps toward us, continually getting louder and faster.

"Oh my god," I gasped, forgetting my task and ripping my little girl off the ground and into my arms.

The sounds were like nails on a chalkboard, tracing creepy little lines down my neck and back. "Oh my god," I repeated, looking desperately for somewhere to run. Then I saw the window.

I put a hand on Cordie's head, saying, "Cover your face, baby. Hide your eyes." She buried her face in my neck. I picked up the heavy iron crowbar sitting on top of a wooden crate and smashed the window, glass flying everywhere. Then I scraped its frame to rid it of the leftover shards, ignoring the beeping alarm.

The infected people were getting louder, growling and snapping their teeth. I forced myself to look at them and saw how close they were, then I had to force myself not to panic.

"Come on, baby," I said, pushing Cordie forward through the window. She cried a little, clutching at my arm, but I persevered and set her inside the empty warehouse. "Sh, shh," I cooed, too urgent to be soothing. "It's ok, baby. It's ok."

Cold clammy hands were suddenly on my shoulders, the snarls at my neck.

I cried out, swinging my elbow behind me, and luckily dislodged the woman, throwing her to the ground. But the man was next to me, his hands outstretched. Working on pure instinct, I kicked at him and my heel caught his knee, snapping it out from under him with a sickening thud.

I had to take a moment to catch my balance, breathing hard with adrenaline as I leaned on the wall.

The woman was getting to her feet, groaning, facing away from me, and the man twisted on the ground, still reaching his bloody, gray hands out to me like a child trying to catch a butterfly.

I stared at him, my mouth hanging open with pity and horror... his eyes... they were blood-shot, the irises almost completely glazed over with yellowy film... his lips torn in what must've been very painful ways... his blackened teeth snapping at me...

"Mommy! Momma!" my baby was screaming, pulling me out of my terrified trance just as the infected woman turned to me, snarling gutturally.

I pushed her down again and leaped through the window, my bare feet bleeding, cut on the broken glass.

My little girl threw herself into my arms, crying uncontrollably.

"It's alright, baby, I'm here. I'm sorry. I'm sorry," I cried with her, picking her up and hurrying across the warehouse. I found the door into the store and thanked God that it was unlocked, pushing it open. I saw the woman falling through the window after us before I slammed the door shut again, locking the deadbolt.

Then I allowed myself to collapse with my baby in my arms, sliding to the floor and sobbing into her little shoulder.

I'd never felt so afraid as I did then. I didn't know what was going on and it terrified me. What if I'd been... _eaten? _What would've happened to Cordie? How was this happening? What kind of sickness did that to people?

The door began to thud and bump in its frame, snarls traveling through the metal door. We looked up anxiously, but it didn't look like whoever it was remembered how doorknobs worked.

"Mommy, why are they doing that?" Cordie hiccuped. "Do they want to hurt us?"

I looked at her, unsure how I should answer her. Then I steeled my nerves, rubbing the tears off my face, trying to be brave for my daughter. "I think they do, baby," I said. "But it's because they're sick, ya know? They don't really know what they're doin'."

Cordie nodded, her eyes wide and trusting.

"Lets go," I told her. "We need to find you a coat. Then we're gonna go camping, ok?"

"Is Tommy coming too?" she asked as I stood up, setting her on her feet and taking her hand.

I swallowed, "Yep. We're gonna met him there." I didn't want to think about Tommy right now. I had to think about Cordie.

We tiptoed onto the main floor of the store. With the lights off, it was eerie walking through the aisles. I'd never been shopping here before, so I was disappointed to see that they only sold adult clothing, but there was nothing for it. We'd have to make it work.

"Kay, baby," I said to her. "You stay with me. No matter what. Don't even let go of me."

Cordie nodded, "Yes, Momma."

First, we found me a pair of boots with a tread. They were obviously meant for fashion, useless buckles running up the sides, but I couldn't be choosy right now. At the very least, they didn't have heels and I could walk easily in them once I'd bandaged up my feet and found some thick socks. Then I grabbed a heavy leather jacket for its thick sweatshirt hood, knowing we would be spending at least one night out in the trees. I pulled my wallet out of my purse and stuffed it into my pocket.

Then we went picking through the extra-small section. There wasn't much to choose from, but eventually, we decided together on a wool-lined pale-pink denim jacket, rolling the sleeves up; it might've hung down to her knees, but it would keep her warm tonight. I found a lime green beanie with a cat face embroidered on the edge and pulled it down over her pale messy hair, saying, "Look! I finally gotcha a kitty!"

Cordie pushed it up off her eyes and stuck her tongue out at me, "Nnnnn!"

I retaliated with a chuckle. "Nn-nn-NN!" Even with the world crashing around outside, she could make things better...

There was suddenly a loud scream just outside the store and we both jumped, our moment of fun officially over.

I knew we couldn't stay there anymore. Things were just getting worse out there by the sounds of it.

"Alrigh'. It's time to go," I said slowly, picking Cordie up.

She frowned at me, touching her hat, "Did you buy this?"

I sighed. So honest. Man, how did I do so good? "No, I didn't, baby. But I promise I'll come back and pay later, ok? Nobody's here to take my money."

Her little forehead creased up in confusion, and she nodded, wrapping her arms around my neck. I hated to see my baby so scared.

Now that it was time to leave, I didn't know if I could. We stood at the front door for a long time, looking out the windows at the chaotic streets, but I didn't feel like I could do it. By now, the infected people were all over the place. How was it possible that there were so many all of the sudden? How was I going to make it out of the city without being seen by one of them? What was I supposed to do? It'd take hours to reach the campsite on foot, not taking into account the possibility that I could loose my way.

Realizing that I was spiraling, I closed my eyes, breathing in through my nose and out through my mouth. All I needed was a plan, I told myself. Just think of a plan and go from there. I could do this.

I figured it was about ten blocks from the nearest edge of the forest, then I'd be on the east side. Our campsite was out towards the south east, about three miles out. If I could get to the trees, find some cover, then find the road, it shouldn't be too hard from there.

With my hand on the doorknob, I inexplicably wished that I'd taken the time to visit my dad in prison all those years ago. My grandparents had disowned my mom when she married my dad, and my dad had been a foster child. When she died, he'd become my only family. And I'd just left him to rot. My biggest regret.

Tears stinging in my eyes, I yanked the door out of my way. I immediately set off jogging in the direction I needed, turning my head left and right, hyperaware.

It was loud as soon as we left the store. There were whispering groans and snarls coming from all different directions, echoing off the buildings, slithering down my back like ice. I could hear screams from everywhere. Helicopters were in the sky, shining lights down on the city, passing by on their choppy propellors. There was a writhing pile of bodies a little ways down the street; I could hear the sound of wet, squishy tearing. People were avoiding the pile of people, fleeing in all directions, calling out for loved ones.

Fighting my nausea, I whispered to Cordie, "Close your eyes, baby. Don't open 'em."

By the time we'd covered two blocks, I'd come across more than twenty clumps of unthinking infected, so distracted by whatever they were eating that they ignored the others around them. There were a few straggling monsters here and there, but they were always after someone else and left us alone. Traumatized as I was, I didn't think to stop and help. Blood... everywhere... all over... the smell...

We were three blocks from the end of the street when the explosions started. Cordie screamed and I tripped, twisting so I landed on my side instead of on top of her. My jeans tore at the knees. My hair falling in my eyes, I quickly sat up, turning to look in the direction it came from. The entire street a block away was a wall of fire. The ground shook with a recurrence somewhere else nearby. The helicopters continued to circle the air.

"Oh my god," I whispered, my stomach dropping. They were destroying the city.

With my heart in my throat, I scrambled to my feet and began sprinting, heedless of who or what was in my way. It was all a blur of red-orange light, screams, and snarls.

I didn't realize how far I'd gone until I slipped on a branch and fell to my knees, gasping. The explosions still rent the air behind us, and I slowly slumped to a sitting position with my baby in my lap, breathing painfully while we watched the night sky light up orange and black. The trees around us were silent, not even the bugs singing.

"Where's Tommy, Momma?" Cordie asked quietly, innocently, and I could only hold her closer and cry.

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_all characters and story lines previously unheard of are property of classic99lady00_

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_all else belongs to the following parties_

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_based around the television series by AMC "The Walking Dead"_

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_original stories by Robert Kirkman, Tony Moore, and Charlie Adlard_

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The road was just as I remembered, every turn and bump, every sign, but it was different going at such a slow pace. Every tree seemed more important, more definite. The night was blue rather than black, all the shadows indigo and the starlight stark white after the carnage in the city. The bug sounds were crisper and the wind softer. Maybe it had something to do with my recent near-death experiences...

Cordie's small body pressed into my back as I carried her piggyback style, her little cheek stuck to my shoulder blade as she slept. My shoulders were beginning to ache, stretched back as they were, but I was just relieved she could find some rest.

"Would you like me to carry her for a while?" one of my companions suddenly asked as we walked. "You must be tired."

I shook my head, "No, thank you." I didn't dare let her go, not even for a moment.

"Alright. If you ever need a rest, just let me know. I'm Eric, by the way, Eric Sorenson," the man said, placing a hand on his chest. Then he put a hand on his friend's shoulder, "And this is Reid Dirk."

I nodded in greeting, "Halley Munroe."

"What's your daughter's name?" Reid asked.

"Cordie," I answered, a little smile twitching on my lips. "Cordelia Lou."

Eric crooned, "Adorable! It fits her so well."

"I think so too," I said, remembering the day she'd been born. God, she'd been so perfect. And all mine, too. Still was.

"How much further?" a teenager asked from behind me.

I turned to answer and was distracted by the sight. We were climbing a hill in the road and, being in front, I could see just how large the group I was leading had become. It had to be at least twenty people or a little more, all different ages but mostly young adults... people who could run. And they were all following _me_. It'd started with the old couple not wanting me and my daughter to be alone and just snowballed. What was it about a moving group that attracted people? I remembered Tommy mentioning something smart about 'mob mentality' or some shit... something to do with psychology... He'd always been interested in things like that...

The teenage boy was staring at me expectantly, his dyed black hair and eyeliner making his skin look chalky, his flat pale-blue eyes weirding me out.

"I'm not sure," I sighed and adjusted my grip on Cordie. "Probably a mile."

We fell into line again, like a marching group of penguins, and then Reid asked, "How do you know this place, Halley? Why are you going there?"

"Tommy, my boyfriend," I answered. "We go camping as much as possible, always the same spot. He's such a nature nut, it's hard to say no. Anyway, he called me and told me to meet him there just before all that crazy shit happened..."

Cordie stirred against my back, "...no...bad word..."

I snorted a laugh, whispering, "Sorry, baby. Forgive me?"

I felt her head nod sleepily against my shoulder blade.

Eric about had a fit, asking, "Oh my god, does it get any cuter?"

"'Fraid not," I answered with a smile. Anyone who thought my baby was cute was alright in my book.

"So, your boyfriend warned you of what was happening?" Reid asked. "He knew they were going to bomb the city?"

I thought about it, "I guess he did. He must've overheard something..."

"What does he do?" Eric asked.

"He's a nurse at Atlanta General."

Reid nodded, "That would make sense. They were setting up a station there last I heard, trying to coordinate the National Guard..."

I could feel the tension in my shoulders getting worse the more I thought about Tommy. He was the heroic type... if he'd been in the same situation I had on the streets just hours before, he'd stop to help... no question about it... he'd stop and risk his neck time and time again...

"Oh, you're driving me crazy! Your shoulders must be killing you by now!" Eric said. "_Please_, let me hold her. I promise I'll give her back!"

I laughed, knowing I wouldn't be much help to anyone, much less my daughter, if I ran myself into the ground. "Alright, fine. But I'll be watching you," I threatened jokingly. But seriously, he wasn't getting out of my sight with my baby.

"Thank you!" he said exaggeratedly, gently pulling Cordie off my back into his arms.

He was a natural, and Cordie only murmured a little at the change, dead to the world.

I rolled my shoulders to loosen them up, asking, "So what do you two do for a living?"

"Oh, I'm working for my college degree," Eric said. "About halfway through getting my bachelors in Elementary Ed and I can't wait to get into a classroom!"

I smiled. He already had my vote for best teacher.

"I'm a personal trainer," Reid answered. He definitely looked it too, all blocky, tanned muscle.

"That's how I met him," Eric said. "As Fate would have it, I got paired with the only gay man at the club. I swear, even if I'd been straight, this man would've turned me in a heartbeat!"

I smirked at Reid's embarrassment. "You guys married?"

"Two years last week," Eric answered, smiling. "Came to Atlanta to celebrate our anniversary and got stuck when the flights were cancelled..."

Headlights appeared at the back of the group, a couple of cars having caught up with us. They skirted around the scraggily group and came to find us, the 'leaders.'

I didn't recognize the cars, but I felt my heart start thumping noisily in my ribcage, foolishly believing that it might be Tommy. I tried to tell myself to not get my hopes up so that they wouldn't be needlessly dashed. And I was right to do so; it wasn't Tommy. It was a butch, black-bearded man in a rusty truck and a couple of Asian women in a Volkswagen.

"Where r'ya folks headed?" the man asked.

"Just up the road a bit," I answered. "We're stopping at a campsite I know, if ya care ta join us."

"I think I know the place," he said. "I'll be scoutin' it out, makin' sure everythin' is safe before ya git there."

"Thank you, sir," I said. He really had no idea.

"Start yellin' iffin ya need me. Name's Pollark," he said.

"Halley. Munroe."

He nodded, slapping his hand against the outside of his door, "Be seein' ya." And he drove off up the road. The Volkswagen followed him.

We continued walking. A small amount of pressure had left my chest, after knowing that we could be sure of the place we were headed. I hadn't even know it was there until it was gone. Leader's anxiety, I guess.

Christ, it'd been a long night. And it wasn't even halfway over.

* * *

I jerked awake, bloody, disease ridden images still grafted to my eyes as I stared out across the leaf-strewn ground. Silvery morning light filtered through the trees, touching cooly down on the trunks and bushes and dirt. It was peaceful, quiet, bugs twittering. But I could've sworn I'd heard...

I flinched as I heard it again, that raspy, snarling sound, and immediately began feeling for my baby, seeking comfort and reassurance in the fact that I could protect her. She wasn't there...

I was about to start screaming for her when I rolled over and finally found the source of the sound. Pollark was sharpening one of his hunting knives on a stone by the smokey campfire. Cordie, disheveled and sleep-rumpled, was sitting nearby with Reid and Eric, playing a game of Rock, Paper, Scissors. People milled about, some of them sweeping up tents, or snacking on food they'd brought. Most of them looking tensed and bored.

"Mornin'," Pollark said, not looking up from his knife.

I sat up slowly, groaning in pain. I was _so _stiff. Sleep was supposed to give me a break, wasn't it? Even if I was sleeping on the ground. Judging by my nightmare, not even my brain had gotten any real rest.

"Glad jer awake," Pollark growled, viscously stabbing his knife into the stump he was sitting on. "People've been gettin' antsy around here, askin' what they're supposed to do." He looked at me curiously.

I felt myself blanch at the realization that _I _was still playing the leader. **_WHY?_ **What did they want from _me_? How was I was supposed to answer for all these people? I didn't ask for this! Why were they asking _me_? What could _I _do? After a few moments of blind panic, I tried to ignore it, just so I could function. I just had to wait... Tommy said he'd be here. Then I'd think of something else to do.

With a forced sigh, I stood and stretched, my back and legs screaming in pain.

"Momma!" Cordie came running to me, clutching a green apple in her hands. Reid followed at a slower pace, Eric right behind him.

"Hey, baby!" I picked her up, set her on my hip with a little groan as it put pressure on my back, and asked, "Whatcha got there?"

She twisted the apple around in front of my nose, grinning. "It was the only green one. I had to fight Reid fer it."

"And she won, dagnabbit," Reid snapped his fingers, playing up his disappointment.

"Well, I hope you gave her a good fight, at least," I said, smiling.

"I rock, paper, scissored my hardest," Reid said, shrugging. "But it was no use. She's just too smart."

My baby giggled and began to munch on the apple, slurping up the juices greedily.

While she was distracted, I mouthed my thanks for watching over her, and the two men mouthed their replies back. It was nice to have friends at a time like this.

"You wanna bite?" Cordie asked, holding her apple up to my mouth. She smiled in anticipation, knowing exactly what she was asking, the little mischief-maker.

Not wanting to argue (she would if I said no), I took the apple out of her hand and took a little bite, chewing warily. Almost immediately, I felt the taste zap straight down my jaw and settle under my ears. I flinched and made a face, making my baby and the boys laugh. "Oh, Lordy, that's sour!" I complained, handing the apple back to her. "I don't know how you stand that stuff, baby!"

"Must get it from her daddy," Eric thought aloud.

Before I could think of a reply to that, yelling started up somewhere on the campsite. It sounded pretty heated, so, naturally, we all went to look, more out of curiosity than anything.

I recognized the lanky black-haired teenager from last night. He was being yelled at by a middle-aged man who, apparently, thought the teen had stolen something from him.

"I didn't take your damn hatchet, alright!" the teen exclaimed, holding his hands out in confusion. "I don't have it! I don't know where it is!"

"Then explain to me this," the man said angrily. "I set the hatchet down outside my tent, I go into the tent, and when I come back, it's gone and yer the only that was standing close. Now who seems most likely to have taken it, I wonder?" His face was turning red.

Frustrated, the teen sighed and gestured into the trees, "I don't know, man. Maybe you should ask the squirrels again..."

The man lunged at him then, fisting his hands in his black t-shirt and the yelling match of the season took off, echoing off the trees. A small scuffle started, not yet quite to blows.

It was Pollark who muscled his way between them, stage-whispering roughly, "Shut up!" He held them at arms length, standing between them. "You two shut the hell up, right now! Ya wanna bring the sick ones aroun?"

That caught everyone's attention like nothing ever could.

"Whaddya mean?" asked a woman in the crowd.

Pollark shuffled uncomfortably while he was on the spot, "The noise attracts 'em. Light too, when 's dark."

What he must've gone through to know this...

"Dad, what's going on?" a dark-haired girl asked, coming through the crowd toward the man who'd been yelling. She had a hatchet in her hand.

The teen made a half-amused, half-disgusted sound and walked away, his hands in the pockets of his skull-print jacket.

The father and his daughter went back to their tent.

Pollark came to stand beside me and Eric and Reid, surveying the crowd tensely.

"How do you know about the sound attracting them?" Reid asked.

Pollark's mouth twitched and he didn't look any of us in the eye. "Had some of 'em sneak up on me in the woods a couple o' nights back. They jus' kept _comin_', even though I broke their arms and legs. Had ta bash in their heads before they would quit. Slittin' their throats didn' work."

Revulsion shuddered in my stomach and I put my hand to my baby's head out of instinct.

Pollark saw my reaction and looked to me with a kind of stubborn pleading, "You saw what they were like. I know ya did. No one would be havin' nightmares like yers iffin ya hadn't a seen what they were like."

The man in the alley came to my head; even with his leg severely fractured, he had still come after me, as if he didn't even feel it.

I wanted to sob. _W__hat was going on?_

"Excuse me. Halley?" a stranger caught my attention, coming to stand in front of me with her arms folded across her chest. The people around us turned interestedly to hear what she was going to say. "I uh.. I guess I'm wondering what the plan is... there isn't much food to go around here and... well, we all don't know what to do."

I felt like a worm on an anthill with all those eyes on me, helpless as I was pinched and prodded. They all knew my name, even though I hadn't introduced myself to more than four of them. They all expected me to answer. To have a plan to follow. They'd all followed me up here and now they expected a plan.

"Well... I uh..." I swallowed, awkward. It felt like I was in high school again, presenting a report on a book I hadn't read. People listened to me carefully but I didn't know if there was any value in what I was saying."I came up here because my boyfriend Tommy warned me about... about what they were going to do in Atlanta. He said he would meet me here..." I trailed off. It'd been at least 12 hours since he called me. The shivery fear in my stomach turned ice cold, making me feel like I'd just swallowed an ice cube.

I looked at Cordie in my arms, her mouth and cheeks sticky and red-cold from the apple. She stared back at me, in awe, and I suddenly knew what I would have to do. I was going to have to play leader for this group, because apparently, no one else wanted to. If Cordie was going to stay safe, this group needed someone to take charge. Better me than nobody.

I set my baby on the ground, holding her sticky hand. Now that I'd made the decision, my brain put on a spurt of some kind of thought-adrenaline and the wheels started to turn. I looked around at the expectant people, "Has anyone tried their cellphone recently?"

"The lines are all dead. No reception," someone told me.

I nodded, thinking out loud, "Then we'll have to assume that no one knows we're up here besides Tommy. It's probably best if we assume that there isn't any help coming either."

"But what about the government..." someone started.

"The government blew the goddamn city to pieces, or don't you remember!" another person said.

"Wait! Quiet!" I called out before any more muttering could start. "First things first," I said. "We're gonna set up watches, 24/7. If everyone takes turns, the shifts won't be very long. We have to make sure we aren't _ever _surprised. By anyone or anything." So far, so good. Nobody had any objections.

I looked to Pollark, remembering what he'd said about the infected. "I hope we'll never have to resort to this," I continued slowly, "but the infected people don't feel pain. According to Pollark, they don't stop. The only way to stop them is to... If one of them comes too close... you'll have to kill them." To my surprise, there were only a few horrified expressions; the rest were merely grim, nodding in agreement. How had taking lives become something so acceptable in the space of 12 hours?

"He said it's the brain," one of the men nearby said. "That's the quickest way."

"'s the _only _way," Pollark said deeply. "Gettin' 'em in the heart ain' gonna do ya no good. I tried."

I found myself staring at him, my brain frozen on images of blood and gore while I listened. What this man must've gone through...

I shook myself back to the present and tried to think of other things we would need while we stayed here. "Water," I said. "There's a creek just over there," I pointed. "Just make sure you boil it first, or you'll risk diarrhea. And as fer food... does anyone hunt? Trap?"

Three claimed to have knowledge, including Pollark.

One woman stepped forward, "I know of some edible plants. I could go foraging as well."

"Good idea," I said.

Pollark jumped in, "We'll be mighty hard pressed to feed a group this size."

I bit my lip, knowing it to be the truth.

"And what about survivors? Others?" a woman asked. "My sister and her family... they were heading out of the city when it happened..."

"...could find my parents..."

"...my son is still out there..."

I began to think overwhelmingly of Tommy and how he hadn't showed up yet. He could be hurt, trying to find his way here. Waiting here for him could mean his death...

"I could go out and look," I volunteered. "Take a small group and go down to the city to search for survivors. While we're down there, we could pick up more food and supplies we need. Tents and blankets and flashlights..." A lot of people looked like they thought this was a good idea.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, BAD idea," a tall man in a security guard uniform said. "Splitting up to chase strays is a good way to get people killed. We need people _here _to keep the camp defended."

"And what do you suggest we do when we run out of food?" another man asked. "It's our only real option." He turned to me again, saying, "How many people should go with you?"

I thought for a second, "We'd need to move fast, so no more than three people total..."

Eric suddenly grabbed my arm, hissing, "Why _you_, Halley? Why not let someone else do that?"

I knew saying that I wanted to find Tommy would be an insufficient, selfish answer, so I gave him the better reason. "I can pick locks. I can get us into locked stores without alerting any infected people. And I'm small. I can be fast if I have to."

Eric still didn't look satisfied, "What about Cordie?"

_That _sent a sliver of hot metal through my heart if nothing else did. I couldn't take her with me. I _wouldn't _in a million years. And on the other hand, the thought of leaving her behind when things were so unsure was almost more than I could bear.

I swallowed hard, "Our best chance of this working is if I go." I wasn't just talking about the supply run. I needed to prove that my plan was a good one if this group was going to stay together. If the group stayed together, my baby was safer. If the group stayed together, she would have more people to protect her.

* * *

I finished undoing my complicated hairstyle from yesterday, switching it out for a ponytail and freeing my bangs: I'd need the bobby pins. My thick bone-straight mahogany hair was getting long, almost to the waistband of my jeans when it was down. I usually liked it just a _little_ shorter, about halfway down my back, but every time I thought of cutting it, Tommy would talk me out of it. I joked all the time that his fetish with my hair came from cutting _his_ so short...

A stab of worry went through me when I thought his name. He should've _been_ here by now. Where the hell was he?

"I wish you would change your mind about this, Halley," Reid told me.

Eric handed me his empty backpack stoically, trying not to look upset with me.

"Thank you," I smiled anxiously, having said everything I needed to say on the matter, and pulled the backpack over my shoulders.

My little girl was sitting a few paces away, scratching at the dirt with a stick the same way she used crayons: daintily. She'd shed the pink jacket as the day warmed up, but she refused to take off the lime green beanie with the cat on it. The color would make keeping an eye on her a breeze, in any case.

My throat tight with worry and guilt at what I was doing, I turned to Reid and Eric again. "Listen, I know it isn't fair to ask after just meeting you..."

"You don't even have to ask, Halley," Eric said, shaking his head. He stepped forward and wrapped me in a hug. "Of course we'll watch her."

Tears began to spill out of my eyes as I whispered fervently, "Thank you." I honestly didn't know what I would've done without them right now.

By the time I'd hugged and thanked Reid as well, the tears were going full force and I had to sit and compose myself before I could talk again. Then I turned and walked toward what I was sure would be the hardest goodbye I'd ever have to make.

"Hey baby," I got her attention, kneeling next to her.

"Look, Mommy!" she said. "It's a cat!" It looked like a potato with stick legs and needles stuck in one end.

"Oh, yeah it is! You've got the whiskers and everything," I smiled tightly as she smiled proudly. "Look, Cordie baby, I need to talk to you," I said, grabbing her hands so she would listen to me.

I was so scared. I had to believe that I'd come back and she'd still be here, but it didn't stop me from being scared.

Cordie was staring at me, her big blue eyes wide.

Be brave, I told myself. With a deep breath, I explained, "Reid and Eric are going to watch you for a little bit, ok? I'm just gonna go get some food for dinner and come right back ok?"

"Can I come?"

My heart wept. "No, baby. You need to stay here so that you can be safe from the sick people. Ok?"

She nodded hesitantly. "Are you going to pick up Tommy from work too?" she asked.

I had to physically swallow my emotion, "If I can find him. He might be busy helping people like he usually is, ya know?"

She nodded again, her lower lip trembling.

"Ah no, baby," I said, trying to laugh. "Don't start crying or I'll cry too!"

"Sorry," she said, blinking furiously.

"Its ok," I shook my head, truly laughing this time. Then I kissed each of her little, dirt-covered hands, pecked her on the lips, and hugged her tightly. Every little thing about her became infinitely more precious: the feel of her hair against my cheek, her powdery apple smell, her fragile little ribcage and short little arms and legs.

Unable to leave her sitting in the dirt alone, I took my baby over to Eric before I could really let her go. She began to cry in earnest when I turned my back, but I couldn't let myself turn back around.

Pollark was in the center of the commotion around his truck, organizing the list of things we needed to find.

One of the main reasons I could leave Cordie here was the fact that Pollark would be around. He'd wanted to come along on the run for supplies, but he was obviously the most experienced with the infected and it was better that he stay where the most people were. Just in case.

"Only the really impor'ant stuff righ' now," Pollark told the small crowd. "If you can do without fer a couple o' days, don' ask fer it yet."

"How are we doin'?" I asked as I came up beside him.

He handed me the small piece of paper, "Medicines and lady hygiene stuff mostly. We'll need as much food as you three can carry, blankets too, and six more tents before everyone has one."

I nodded, looking over the list. "Does Greg know the best places to find it all?"

"Been runnin' through all the stores in his head fer the past hour," Pollark said, jerking his head over to where Greg, the taxi driver, was saying goodbye to his family. "Thinks he knows the ones that are closest together."

"Ok," I said, stuffing the paper into my back pocket. "Thanks, Pollark. Stay safe."

I moved passed him but he put a hand to my shoulder and stopped me. He was holding a belt out for me to take, "You'll need it."

When I took the belt, I saw that there was a hunting knife and sheath attached to it. The knife was very big.

I looked at him warily but he just said, "Straigh' through the eyes in fron'. In back, it's just under the base o' the skull and up. Told AJ not to use the gun if he could help it, but maybe you could remind 'im."

I almost shivered with horror, hoping to god that I wouldn't have to use this knowledge, but hid it as best I could, biting my lip. I held out my hand to him.

A little hesitant, he took it.

"Thank you, Pollark," I said, and I truly meant it. Such good, heart-felt people seemed so hard to find in the regular world... what were the chances that my little girl and I could be lucky enough to find him and Reid and Eric right when all this started to happen?

He nodded and said gruffly, "Good luck ta ya."

I smiled grimly and began to walk toward the car, where AJ and Greg were waiting for me, but then my eyes slid up the hill to where Eric and Reid were standing, my baby in Eric's arms. She was shaking and hiccuping, her little face red with tears, but she didn't scream or kick. My brave little girl...

Tears in my eyes, I jumped into the passenger seat, AJ in the back and Greg driving, and we set off.

* * *

We left the car on the outskirts of town so that the engine wouldn't draw any attention.

AJ was an ex-military security guard, so he knew a thing or two about stealth. He taught us a few hand signals before we went into the streets so we wouldn't have to talk if we didn't have to, and showed us how to roll our feet with every step for maximum quiet. Greg was going to lead us, being the human GPS that he was. Been driving in Atlanta for ten years, he said.

We decided to go to the pharmacy first because it was further into the city than all the rest, that way we wouldn't have to travel as far with all the heavier gear. It was pure, adrenalized hell; never talking, heart always pounding, eyes and ears on high alert. It didn't help that it took a long time too. We were being so careful, not to mention all the times we had to double back because of a caved in building or, even worse, a massive crowd of moaning infected people.

How were there _so many? _There had to be hundreds...

The pharmacy had been broken into already, the windows bashed in. AJ signaled for Greg and me to wait around the corner where we were hidden and disappeared for an agonizing minute, then returned and had us follow him, hissing when I accidentally made a large shard of glass fall and shatter.

There were two freshly bleeding corpses on the ground, one of them wearing a white lab coat. AJ must've taken care of them, I thought as the others began searching the shelves.

"Hey!" Greg whispered. "The list! What do we need?"

I tore my eyes from the red pools on the tiles and immediately went to work, completely wiping out some of the shelves and filling my backpack with what we needed.

The next place we stopped at was a little-known outdoor store and this one hadn't been raided yet. Which meant my skill set wasn't going to be wasted after all. AJ led the way down the empty alley and found the back door, which was just a regular old deadbolt lock. I pulled one of the bobby pins out of my pocket, nodded to AJ to show I had it covered, and he and Greg stood with their backs to me on either side of the door, watching.

I'll admit, I was a bit rusty. After making my promise three years ago, I hadn't picked _one_ lock, even when I accidentally locked myself out of the apartment. I'd been afraid that old habits would start coming back if I let them leak. That was eventually why I'd tattooed the tiny little flower to the top of my left hand, small enough it'd be easily mistaken as a freckle or mole. It sat just under the knuckle of my pointer finger, big enough to catch my eye whenever I was working with my hands. It was to remind me of the reason I did things with my life. It was all for Cordie. Everything.

I reminded myself of that now while I jiggled the bobby pin inside the lock, the little black flower in the corner of my eye.

And finally, the lock twisted.

I smiled triumphantly and whispered, "Hey, it's open!"

When I turned the doorknob, the door swung open so forcefully that I tripped, falling onto my back. Hissing and spitting, a gray-faced creeper fell forward on top of me. Terror caught in my throat, making me silent. Instinct was the only thing that kept me fighting. With my hands around her neck, her teeth were barely an inch from my nose, her rancid hair falling into my face. She growled and gargled at me, snapping her jaw open and closed, her cheek scrapped away to the bone. Her blue-gray hands were pawing at the shoulders of my jacket, trying hard to pull me toward her. Her legs were basically motionless on top of mine.

The tip of a knife suddenly pushed out through the center of her forehead and she immediately collapsed on top of me, limp and heavy. Blood dripped down my cheek, pooling under my eye and in my ear.

I heaved her off of me, hyperventilating, and rolled away as quickly as I could. Then I heaved the contents of my stomach onto the pavement, retching violently.

I didn't have time to catch my breath before someone suddenly put an arm around me and pulled me to my feet. "You can do that inside," AJ said. There were other corpses on the ground.

AJ towed me into the store, Greg shut the door and locked it, and we were suddenly in the dark.

We sat together in the stillness, listening to each other's breathing. Even in the dark, I could see the woman's blood on my face, feel her slippery flesh under my fingers. I sat curled up on the floor, my head in my hands, rocking slowly back and forth. She'd once been healthy and sane; she'd been wearing a uniform, blue polo shirt and khakis. And she'd been killed. Right on top of me.

I knew I was on the edge of hysteria and I fought against it, thinking of my baby girl and what she would do if I couldn't pull it together. I thought of her sweet smell and chiming voice, hoping it would calm me down.

The lights suddenly came on. We were sitting in an upturned office, filing cabinets spilling their documents all over the carpet. AJ was on the other side of the room, peeking out the door to the other parts of the store. Greg was still sitting next to me, grimacing as he examined a long scratch down his forearm.

"You're hurt!" I said, pulling my backpack off. We'd found antibacterial cream and bandages at the pharmacy.

"It's not bad," Greg said sheepishly. "One of 'em caught me with their nails..."

I wanted to wrap it, but he would only allow me to apply the cream, saying something about air being good for wounds or some bullshit like that.

"Hey, it's all clear out here," AJ said, reappearing in the doorway. "Place is empty. But keep your eyes peeled all the same. I'm not perfect."

On that happy note, we raided the outdoor store. AJ and Greg were both carrying two tents across their backs and a large bundle of blankets under their arms _each_ by the time we were done. I shouldered a tent but they insisted that I don't take anymore than that so I could carry whatever food we found at our next stop.

It was more nerve-wracking traveling to the grocery store than anything I'd ever experienced before. Trying to maneuver with the heavy tent on my back and remain silent seemed nigh on impossible; and the men were carrying _two _of them each! If we ever had to do this again, we were going to have to set our carrying capacity a little lower.

The doors were unlocked and there were dead bodies on the floor already when we got there. Someone else had been here. Someone sane. We immediately went for the bread and fruit and packaged meat, reasoning that it would last the least. AJ was browsing the booze and Greg was loading his backpack with candy bars when I saw the box of Sour Straws. Smiling, I took them, the little purple flower tattoo grinning up at me.

I had two backpacks, a tent, and at least six grocery bags to carry. AJ and Greg had even more. No one would've blamed us for making a bad call and crossing the street before checking around the corner.

"Shit!" I hissed as we came face to face with a milling crowd of the infected. Several turned their heads, gruesome grins and saggy eyes, hungry snarls. Growing suddenly louder.

"RUN!" AJ yelled.

And we did.

Some of them were faster than others and AJ picked them off with his handgun, the metallic bang echoing back and making me cringe. I remembered Pollark's advice with a sense of antipathy... running for your life with the slithering sounds of the infected behind you would do that to you.

"In here!" Greg suddenly shouted, veering to the right.

I followed without thinking, AJ right behind me, and Greg slammed a chain-link fence closed behind us.

The infected pushed up against it, their grubby, gray fingers pulling on the metal wire angrily. We stared, watching their madness like three scared cats trapped in a corner. So many of them... all crazy... all torn and ripped so painfully...

"Come on," AJ said, panting. "That won't hold them forever."

We all knew he was right and followed Greg back to the car with a lot more care than before.

* * *

The windows were down as we sped along the deserted road, the wind whipping at the loose strands of my hair. The blood on my face had gone dry, flaking off if I rubbed at it. It was too warm for my jacket now, but I didn't feel like removing it. Every bit of empty space had been filled with supplies, so I was squashed against my door, a tent in my lap, food down with my feet, and blankets tucked under my arm.

We hadn't seen even one uninfected person. There might've been evidence for some, like the pharmacy and the grocery store, but every other person we'd seen so far wanted to bite us and do nothing else, shuffling around without a single care or interest in the world.

Tommy was nowhere to be seen. The longer he went unheard of, the slimmer the chances were that he was safe.

I remembered the day I met Tommy with a small, sad smile. I'd had a pretty bad run-in with a giant jar of homemade strawberry jam, getting the damn stuff all over my arms and the front of my shirt. I wasn't so deathly allergic that the smell would trigger anything, but with the strawberry-ness all over my skin... my throat had started to close-up and I was itching something awful. Anyway, I was waiting on the hospital bed to be discharged, when Tommy appeared to check on me. I could remember exactly what he said when he saw me: "You haven't been causing trouble, have you? I'm kind of like the orderly around here, and they only send me to the patients with the biggest mouths." The smile on his face was the most annoying yet devilishly handsome thing I'd seen in a long time. I later found out that he'd heard me talking earlier and made a trade with other nurse so he could see me; apparently, I sounded very _**loud**_.

"What are you thinking about that's making you smile like that?" Greg asked from the driver's side.

I shook my head, "Silly stuff."

Greg smiled, "If ya ask me, we need more silly stuff nowadays." Then he started to cough.

I looked closely at him, noticing the way he shook slightly, the sweat dripping off the end of his nose. "Are you ok? You look pale."

He sniffed, "Its nothing. I'm fine."

"Shit! Look!" AJ suddenly said, making me jump.

At first I thought he was talking about the new cars parked alongside Pollark's truck. But then I heard the gunshots...

"Oh my god." I didn't even wait until Greg had fully stopped before launching myself out my door. AJ was right behind me.

"Cordie!" I yelled. "Cordie, where are you? Eric! Reid!" There was no sign of any of them.

My voice caught the attention of one of the infected. As he shuffled toward me, I knew I was alone in this fight. I knew what I would have to do. So, I stood my ground, drew my knife, but couldn't make myself walk toward him. Then with his hands on my shoulders, instinct took over and I thrust my knife up through his shrunken, empty eye socket. His dead weight leaned on me, his blood dribbling down the knife to my fingers. Shock made me watch his body fall to my feet, but the panicked screams around me brought me back almost immediately afterward.

"Cordie! Cordie, baby, talk to me! Where are you? Cordie! Cor..."

...I saw green out of the corner of my eye...

One of _them_ was trying to get into a tent, someone screaming inside it while he scratched stupidly at the vinyl, ignoring the zipper. His back and head were badly burned and charred, his clothing all but gone. He had a scrap of lime green cloth snagged to his gruesome teeth...

"Hey!" I yelled at him, stepping closer.

He turned to look at me... and I could see the embroidered cat...

It was a moment before I knew I was still alive.

"No..." I whispered. "No. No-no-no! No! Cordie! Cordie!" I was screaming into the trees while the monster tripped and stumbled toward me.

There was no answer.

The hat was soaked with blood.

The hair stuck to the gore on his fingers was white-blond.

my _baby_...

Without a ounce of self-preservation or rational thought, I threw myself forward and tackled him to the ground. "Where is she?! What did you do with my daughter?!" I screamed in his face, my hands around his blackened, crackling neck.

He growled wordlessly and snapped his teeth over the hat again and again as if to taunt me.

"Tell me you _motherfucker_!" I screamed and I punched him, blood spraying up under my knuckles with surprising ease. "Tell me!" I began to throttle him, throwing his head down on the ground again and again and again while I screamed at him.

Then somebody pulled me off of him, saying, "Stop it! He's dead already!"

People had begun to gather around. I quickly stood and started searching the crowd, yelling my baby's name.

But they all stared at me with horror.

They all knew.

I collapsed, still crying out her name, again and again until I could feel the shame and guilt and sorrow tearing my heart to shreds.

_I thought she was safe here... _

_Honest to God, I thought she was safe... _

_I will never forgive myself... _

_Never... _

_I can't live without her... _

_I will die without her..._

_Please God, let me die..._

_I don't deserve it, but please, kill me..._

_._

_._

_._

_._

_._

_._

_._

_._

"Mommy!"

.

.

.

.

The hope was almost as painful as the sorrow.

I gasped with new life, lifting my head.

"Momma!"

My little girl. There she was. Covered in dirt and tears and running through the trees towards me.

I scrambled to my feet, weak-kneed, and grabbed her up like she might fly away at any moment. She clutched at me tightly in turn, reassuring me that she really was here with her powdered scent and tiny hands.

I was crying with relief just as hard as I had been with grief. "Oh my baby," I whimpered shakily, falling to my knees again. "My baby." I sobbed, kissing her tangled hair again and again.

"Cordie! Come back!" came the familiar frantic yell.

I looked up just as someone came crashing through the bushes, blue-green scrubs torn and covered in gore. "Halley?"

"Tommy! _Oh my god_!" the sob tore through me as he hurried toward us, dropping to the floor and wrapping us both in his long, strong arms.

I held them both to me tightly with my blood-covered hands. It just seemed too good to be true, to go from loosing everything to having it all so quickly. "What took you so long?!" I half-laughed, half-sobbed into Tommy's shoulder. My humor had always showed up at the weirdest, most unimaginable times and places.

Tommy just leaned back far enough to kiss me, and then held me tighter.

Cordie snuggled further in my shoulder, shivering.

I didn't ever want to let them go.

* * *

Apparently, it takes a while for the symptoms to take effect. A few of the campers had been infected and suddenly started attacking people while AJ, Greg and I were gone. 12 of the 23 refugees died, almost all of them from the wounds the infected had given them… gaping holes in their necks and stomachs…

It was quiet now, while people grieved and buried the dead.

I sat against a fallen tree, cradling my baby in my lap. I couldn't stop looking at her, bliss radiating through me like sunlight. She was sleepy, playing with the ends of my hair as she lay in my arms.

"All of my life, I will thank the good lord tha' I found you," I whispered softly (I couldn't sing worth a nickel), rocking her gently with the slow rhythm of the song. "All of my life, with my love, I'm goin' to surround you. Takin' the time to prove I love you, sure as you see the stars above you. All of my life, yes, _all of my life_, filling your life… with love…"

It was the song I'd heard just a little after Cordie was born. She was fussing and I was sleep-deprived and crying along with her as I walked her up and down my room. Needless to say, I had really doubted my abilities as a mother then. But when this song began to play on the radio, a pleasant-toned man crooning about sweet tasting grass and tiny scolding birds and warm sunlight on his toes, we'd both been instantly comforted. The gentle lyrics perfectly described what I wanted for my Cordie Lou.

"That man really loves you, Halley," Eric suddenly replied.

I looked up to where he sat by my side and then saw where he was staring.

Greg had grown steadily worse since we'd gotten back, his fever so bad he couldn't think straight and his legs so weak he couldn't walk. His coughing sounded so painful... Tommy was with him and his family now, trying to figure out what to do for him.

I smiled as I watched him check Greg's pulse one more time, his eyebrows drawn together worriedly. So compassionate…

"Went into a spittin' rage when he found out you'd gone back to the city. Started cussing every single one of us out for letting you go," Eric continued, rubbing his hand affectionately up and down Reid's calf. "I wish you could've seen Cordie yelling at him, tellin' him to stop saying bad words!" he laughed.

I laughed aloud at the image; my baby had always had spunk. More than even me, given the occasion.

"He said the 'f' word, Momma," Cordie said, clear shock in her voice and on her face.

I kissed the top of her head. My innocent, simply _good_, little baby. "And I'm sure he's sorry for it, too. But he was just really scared for me, baby, that's all. Sometimes we forget what words are bad if we're scared."

Cordie just wrinkled her forehead and went back to playing with my hair.

Tommy began making his way toward us, a tense frown on his face. "Hey," he said, leaning in to kiss my cheek as he plopped down next to me.

"What's going on with Greg?" I asked as he tucked a hand around and under my knee. He usually did that when he needed comfort.

"His fever is only getting worse," Tommy sighed, running a stressed hand over his face. "He's getting more and more fragile every time I ask him to move." His pronunciation was perfect. It used to annoy me sometimes when we were first dating; I thought he was trying too hard to be perfect, not being honest with me. But now I know he used to have a really bad lisp as a kid and had to go through intense speech therapy to get rid of it. Since then, he's had this _thing_ about saying words the right way. At least he never has problems being understood; that can be important in the medical field.

"So what does that mean? You can't do anything for him?" I asked.

Tommy shook his head, "No. I can't. He was scratched, Halley..."

I gasped, finally realizing. "He's infected?" I whispered.

Tommy only grimaced.

God, I felt like such an idiot, dragging him around the city and then having him drive all the way back... poor Greg... his wife and kids...

"We could tie him up... Don't they have a cure somewhere?" Reid asked now. "They're working on one, right?"

Tommy shook his head again, mournful. I watched his jaw clench, his fist tight on his thigh.

"What aren't you telling us?" I asked.

Before he could reply, one of Greg's twin daughters rushed forward, "Mister Williams, Dad's gettin' real bad again..."

Tommy jumped to his feet and hurried back to the tent and I couldn't help going with him, my heart beating fiercely.

What would we do if Greg became... what if he went after his family? His friends? The thought of killing him... Maybe we _should _tie him up... just in case...

There was a small group of people standing around the tent, nervous and fidgety. Some of the men and the woman (singular) Tommy had come with were at the fore-front, muttering together as if they were making some kind of plan. I ignored them.

Mary, her son Josh, and her daughters, Mika and Kyla, stood beside the camp-bed, crying helplessly soft as Greg struggled to breath, his sightless eyes roving the top of the tent. He was nearly motionless, his fingers twitching, his head falling from side to side listlessly. Tommy put his hand under Greg's neck and pushed it up slightly with his other hand tilting Greg's chin back, trying to open his airway more I assumed.

And then Greg sighed, his body going limp.

I could see from Tommy's face that he knew this would happen. He'd been _expecting_ this.

Mary started to cry loudly, clutching Greg's hand. I felt tears in my eyes.

The crowd moodily shuffled away, all except those same people that Tommy had brought with him. They remained where they were, knives and guns in hand. I briefly wondered why they had them before Tommy stood, distracting me.

He looked so... _defeated. _I'd never seen him like this, not even when he was freaking out over his exams for that doctor college.

I set Cordie down next to me and reached up to him, pulling him into a tight hug. Tommy was a hugger. "It's ok," I said. "You said it yourself. There was nothing you could've done."

When I pulled away to look at him, he didn't look any better. Boy, he sure did know how to break a girl's heart, the big-hearted hero.

"Alright, I'll do it," one of the men suddenly said, catching my attention.

He stepped toward the tent, knife fisted in his hand...

"Whoa, wait, what are you doin'?" I asked, putting a hand out and stepping between him and Greg's family.

He looked at me like I was crazy, "Taking care of the body..."

I looked pointedly at the knife, "What's that for?"

"What do you think it's for?" the soldier woman in the group said impatiently. "He's gonna stick it through his brain."

"_Excuse me?!" _I blanched.

"Halley..." Tommy said, putting a hand on my arm.

I shrugged him off. "No, if you think I'm going to let you just walk in there and mangle that man's body, you've got another thing comin'! The man has just died, for Christ's sake, let his family grieve..."

The woman pushed her way forward, her stony face condescending. Her expression reminded me of so many other times and places when men thought I was just other emotional woman. Didn't think I'd ever see it on another woman...

She stood right in front of me, "Listen, bitch..."

"That's a bad word!"

The woman glanced down at Cordie as if she were a yapping dog, "Shut up."

Seeing red, I shoved her, "_Don't you **DARE** talk to my daughter like that_!"

She stepped toward me aggressively.

I was so adrenalized with rage that I didn't even care, standing my ground.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa..." the man with the knife stepped between us, calm and collected. "Let's just take a second here and talk this out..."

Tommy appeared by my side, putting his hands on my shoulders, and said, "Halley, listen..."

"Don't tell me you're _ok _with this?" I said. Tommy, the most friendly, virtuous, stand-up guy I'd ever met...

"You don't understand..."

"Fine, tell me what I don't understand, because I'd _really _like to understand why you want to tear up this man's dead body..."

"_GREG!" _Mary suddenly exclaimed from behind me.

Shocked, I spun around to see Mary and her children crowding around Greg's... _moving _body. My first reaction was joy... but then Tommy stiffened, inhaled sharply and lunged forward. The air turned cold.

Greg _snarled, _wordless, mindless, and seized Mary by the hair, sinking his teeth into her neck.

Screams and blood and panic were everywhere as I plunged into the tent after Tommy, wrapping my arms around Mary and yanking her away as Tommy pushed Greg back to the bed.

I lay Mary on the ground as she twisted and gasped and groaned, shock plain in her eyes. "Mary... Mary, shh.. shh... it's ok," I said, frantically putting my hand around the gushing hole in her neck. So much hot, sticky blood... pushing out through my fingers. Her children huddled together in the corner of the tent nearby, sobbing in terror.

Tommy suddenly appeared by my side, pulling my hand away and glancing at the wound before quickly replacing it with his own. "She's loosing too much blood..."

I couldn't think around the sheer panic.

Mary's hand suddenly gripped mine, yanking me toward her. Her brown eyes were wide and fearful, "My... my..." Her children were around us, crying for their mother helplessly.

"I promise," I said fervently. "I'll look after them. I promise."

Her eyes relaxed slightly after that...

...and then she was gone, her breath silent.

Tommy reached up and gently pushed her eyelids closed.

Josh, Mika, Kyla and Cordie flooded around me, their names circling my head like a carnival.

I was an emotionless wad of flesh as I gathered them together and moved them away from the bodies, hugging all four of them to my waist in a little huddle. I couldn't show what I was truly feeling, so I became emotionless. I needed to be strong for so many of them now...

There was a slithering metallic sound and a wet, gurgling sound as the man with the knife quickly stabbed Mary's forehead, business-like, calm. He looked at me with some mixture of sympathy and 'told-ya-so' and then turned to the men he obviously led. "Take care of these bodies. See that they're buried properly."

The woman soldier nodded, "Alrighty, Governor." The nicknamed rolled of her tongue easily.

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* * *

_So, whaddya think? _

_This took a LOT of effort, and I'm very proud of it, even if I do say so myself. _

_In case you all are wondering, that song she was singing to Cordie is titled "All of My Life" by Roger Whittaker (I take _NO _credit for it). _

_It might be a while before I can get the next chapter up, just warning you. I take pride in what I'm creating here and want it to be **awesome, **so I'm apologizing in advance. _

_Thanks for viewing and reviewing!_

_Loves,_

_classic99lady00_


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